1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to barbecue grills used for outdoor cooking, and particularly to a handle that is connected to a lid of a gas barbecue grill.
2. Background of the Invention
Grills have been used for many years as outdoor cooking devices. Gas grills, in particular, have become increasingly popular.
Gas barbecue grills may be stationary or portable. Portable gas grills generally comprise a cart, supported on wheels, and a cooking vessel supported by the cart. The cooking vessel generally comprises a base and a lid. The base supports gas burners and a grid that supports heat conductive material such as lava rock or metal conductive members, such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,727,853. A cooking grid is positioned above and spaced from the conductive material. A portable fuel tank is also supported on the cart and supplies fuel, such as propane, to the gas burners which supply heat. The lid is constructed to cover the base and can be hingedly, or pivotally attached to the base.
The lid has a handle used to upwardly tilt the lid to provide access to the cooking grid and base. The lid is typically a single piece of cast aluminum. In another form, however, the lid can comprise first and second side support members that are made from cast aluminum and a separate metal sheet that is attached between the first and second side support members. A popular design of this arrangement has the distinctive lid appearance of the grill sold under the name Genesis(copyright), by Weber-Stephen Products Co. The handle can be made from many different materials including plastic, wood or metal.
Because of the close proximity of the handle to the cooking vessel, the handle can become hot due to heat transfer from the cooking vessel. Thus, a user may grasp the handle that is hot and experience discomfort. Further, excessive heating of the handle may cause wear or discoloration of the handle.
Problems also may be experienced with providing efficient securement of the handle to the lid. As discussed, the lid is typically formed from cast aluminum that has minimal elasticity qualities and may be brittle when subject to forces of threaded fasteners. Also attaching a plastic handle to the cast lid, the material properties of the respective pieces make it difficult to provide a lasting secure fit. Thus, over time, the attachments between the handle and the lid may loosen. Such factors may lower overall user satisfaction of the grill.
The present invention is provided to solve these and other problems.
The present invention is directed to a grill used for outdoor cooking. According to a first aspect of the invention, a handle of a grill comprises a gripping portion defining an inner chamber therein. The gripping portion has a passageway in fluid communication with the inner chamber and the atmosphere, thus venting the handle to prevent overheating.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the gripping portion has a first end, and the passageway is located at the first end. The gripping portion may also have a second end wherein a second passageway is located at the second end.
According to another aspect of the invention, the gripping portion comprises a curved wall defining the inner chamber therein. The curved wall is a U-shaped wall and further has a joining wall connected to the U-shaped wall. The joining wall has a slot in fluid communication with the inner chamber and the atmosphere. A plurality of slots could also be utilized.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the curved wall of the gripping portion has an outer surface. The outer surface has a plurality of raised projections, spaced from one another. A metal sheet is optionally connected to the outer surface of the gripping portion.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a handle assembly is connected to a lid of the grill. The lid has a support member having a sleeve having an inner surface. The handle assembly has a gripping portion having an end. An expansion member is connected to the end and is adapted to be received by the sleeve. The expansion member has an expansion wall having an outer surface. The expansion wall is adapted to be expanded outwardly by a manipulating force, wherein the outer surface of the expansion wall engages the inner surface of the sleeve to securely connect the handle to the lid.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the following drawings.